Belt buckle with double acting unitary spring

ABSTRACT

A belt buckle and tongue combination wherein the latching device of the buckle includes a planar unitary spring which is tensed by the act of inserting the tongue into the buckle. The spring then urges the latch into locking engagement with the tongue, and also ejects the tongue when the latch is manually released.

United States Patent 1 1 Weman Apr. 30, 1974 BELT BUCKLE WITH DOUBLEACTING 3,675,281 7/1972 Stephenson 24/230 AL UNITARY SPRING [75]Inventor: Per Olaf Weman, Haslah, Germany Primary mard Gelak A F [73]Assignee: Sigmatex A.G., Basel, Switzerland Howey Agent or JonathanPlant [22] Filed: May 21, 1973 57 ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 361,905 1 Abelt buckle and tongue combination wherein the latching device of thebuckle includes a planar unitary (gl. "/1216 p g which is tensed y theact of inserting the [58] d AL 230 AN tongue into the buckle. The'springthen urges the 0 re latch into locking engagement with the tongue, and[56] References Cited also ejects the tongue when the latch is manuallyreleased.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1972 Turner l. 24/230 AL 9 Claims, 9 DrawingFigures WENTEMPR 30 m4- -SHEU1UF 2 801000 PATEHTEU APR;

SHEET 2 UF 2 FIG. 5

FIG. 4

FIG.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to a belt buckle and tongue combination of the type used inautomobiles, for retaining an occupant in a seated position whensubjected to forces which develop during a collision. Such buckle andtongue combinations are usually included in safety seat belt assemblieshaving at least two belts anchored to the vehicle frame or body, withone of the belts connected to the buckle and at least one other to thetongue. With this arrangement, two of the straps may be disposed over anoccupants lap and the tongue inserted into the buckle, to be retainedtherein until manually released by manipulation of the buckles latchingmechanism. Frequently a third belt is also connected between the tongueand a point in the vehicle, which will permit the third belt to passdiagonally across the occpants torso, for additional protection.

- 2. Description of the Prior Art A large number of such buckle andtongue combinations are found in the prior art, practically all of whichincorporate a buckle having some type of latching means to co-act with atongue, said latching means being movable between a latched and arelease position. The tongue is generally retained within the buckle inthe latched position and may be removed from the buckle in the releaseposition. These buckles employ various subassemblies, devices, linkages,etc. for attachment or co-action with the latching means.

In substantially all buckles of the prior art, one or more latch membersare biased upwardly into the channel through which the tongue is guidedwhen inserted into the buckle. These latch members slope upwardly awayfrom the tongue, so that as the tongue is inserted, its leading-edgedepresses the biased latch member. Springs are generally employed tobias the inclined latching member into the path of the incoming tongue.

When such a tongue and buckle is used, the tongue, on insertion, firstmeets resistance as its tip encounters the obstructing biased latchingmember, and forces it out of its path. The latch member now scrapesacross the surface of the tongue, against which it is biased, until acorresponding opening, slot or depression in the tongue meets thelatching member. The biased latching member is thereupon urged intolatching engagement with the tongue.

ln actual use, it sometimes happens that the wearer mistakes theresistance of the biased latch member, and the firmness imparted to theunlatched tongue by the biased latch, for actual engagement. The wearerthen incorrectly assumes that he or she is safely buckled up. Such aneffect is known in the art as false latching."

The biasing means of the buckle and tongue combinations of the prior artgenerally have a single purpose, namely to constantly urge the latchingmember toward the tongue so as to engage the tongue the moment thecorresponding opening is moved into coincidence. Such springs areconstantly under tension and serve no other purpose. Although devicesfor ejecting a tongue from a buckle have been suggested, such devicesgenerallyinvolve additional parts and complication. They do not utilizethe latching spring, primarily because the force required to eject atongue is perpendicular to that required for latching.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a buckle and tonguecombination free of the danger of false latching; a latching mechanismwhich is positive acting, simply devised, and requires only a singlespring; a mechanism which latches smartly and safely, yet when manuallymoved to the release position, ejects the tongue.

SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a beltbuckle and tongie in combination, comprising a buckle housing having anopening at one end for the insertion of the tongue, means for attachinga length of belt, and an open face exposing a cavity extending to thebase wall of the buckle housing. This buckle housing has grooves,parallel to the base wall of the housing and to each other, disposed inparallel side walls for slideably guiding and supporting the tongue uponits insertion into the buckle housing. The housing also has opposingguide channels, each centrally disposed in the parallel side walls, saidchannels being perpendicular to the base wall, for positioning a unitarybiasing spring, a latching member and a latch release member within thecavity and restricted by the channels to limited motion substantiallyperpendicular to the base wall. A rear wall opposite the opening for thetongue serves to stop the tongue in its forward motion when insertedinto the buckle. The unitary biasing spring comprises first, a flatelongated strip positioned within the cavity, against the base wall,with each end of the strip extending loosely into one of the twoopposing channels. This strip has an arm extending therefrom in thedirection away from the opening for the tongue, but arcuately upturnedto pass through the path for the tongue, for contact with its leadingedge at a point between about 0.1 to 0.6 inch from the end point of itsinward travel.

We refer to such a spring as a planar spring, being fabricated of flatspring stock, but shaped to provide an up-sweeping or arcuately upturnedarm, with other embodiments to include other curved extending arms, aswill be later described. The planar spring need not be of uniformthickness. A latching member is disposed above the strip of the unitaryspring, also extending on each side into the opposing channels, saidlatching member having located thereon an upwardly sloping latchstructure for engaging a corresponding opening in the tongue. A latchrelease member with two legs to straddle the inserted tongue contactsthe latching member, and a retaining cover plate is provided, having anopening therein and means for attachment to the housing. This plateserves to retain the latching and unlatching components within thehousing while permitting access to the press button.

The spring is normally relaxed, so that the latch member is not urgedagainst the tongue to offer resistance or cause frictional drag. Thespring is tensed by the act of inserting the tongue, for as the leadingedge contacts the upturned spring arm, it forces it back to the rearwall of the housing which tends to rock the flat elongated strip upwardagainst the superimposedlatching member. Since this member is restrainedby the plane of the tongue, the spring is tensed at substantially thesame moment that the opening of the tongue coincides with the latchstructure. As the opening in the tongue becomes aligned with the latchstructure the now tensed spring urges the latching member into positiveengagement with the tongue, and the tip of the tongue maintains thespring in this tensed condition. If now the latching member is manuallydepressed, in opposition to the bias of the spring, to withdraw thelatch structure, the tension on the spring is increased still further,and the upturned arm pressed against the leading edge of the tongueforcefully ejects the tongue. We thus have a spring, normally relaxed,which is tensed by the insertion of the tongue. Although tensed by theforce applied parallel to the base, this spring releases the storedenergy, in two directions at right angles to each other. It applies aforce perpendicular to the base wall of the housing to urge the latchstructure upwardly for engagement with the tongue, and parallel to thebase to eject the tongue from the buckle on its release.

In a preferred embodiment of the buckle and tongue combination of myinvention, the side walls of the buckle housing adjacent to the openingfor the tongue, are thickened and carry the grooves for the tongue, aswell as the channels for limiting the latching means and press button tomotion perpendicular to the base wall.

In one embodiment the rear wall of the buckle housing, opposite theopening for the tongue is also thickened, and carries a groove toreceive the tip of the tongue at the end of its forward travel.Preferably, these grooves are flared outwardly somewhat, to guide theleading edge of the tongue. The thickened portion of the wall is notcontinuous, but is broken in the central portion leaving a channel-likespace, perpendicular to the base wall, between the two grooved sectionsof thick grooved wall. These block-like sections of grooved wall, arereferred to as "guide-blocks for the tongue. Thechannel-like spacebetween them is of a width sufficient to receive the upturned arm of thespring when it is forced to the end of the buckle housing by theincoming tongue. On each side'of the upturned arm of the spring there isa shorter arm curved slightly downward. Each of these short armscontacts the base'wall of the housing at the point where theguide-blocks intersect the base. They therefore contact the base in aline perpendicular to the direction of the incoming tongue, and form afulcrum on which the planar unitary spring rocks when the upturned armis forced backward by the leading edge of the tongue. Besides fixing thedegree of leverage, these short arms add additional resilience to theplanar spring. Further resilience may also be obtained by upturning thetips of the elongated flat strip of the spring where they enter thechannels.

In the preferred embodiment, a single guide-block for the tongue iscentrally located in the rear wall of the buckle housing. This too isgrooved for receiving the tip of the tongue, and preferably the grooveis outwardly flared to guide the tip of the tongue to the end point ofits travel. This guide-block leaves two channel-like spaces, one on eachside, beside the block and the opposing side walls of the buckle. Inthis embodiment, there are two arcuately upturned spring arms, whichwhen forced back by the advancing edge of the tongue, fit into the twochannel-like spaces beside the guideblock, the groove of which extendswithin the guideblock to a plane substantially in line with the rearwall of the channel-like spaces; preferably the rear wall of the bucklehousing. A third spring arm extends from the flat strip in the samedirection as the two upturned arms. This arm, shorter than the upturnedarms, curves slightly downward to contact the base wall of the housingalong the line of its intersection with the guideblock, thus forming thefulcrum. If desired, this downturned short arm may engage a ridge ordepression in the base wall to form the fulcrum.

In still another embodiment, either of the abovedescribed springs mayhave a flat elongated strip which has a thickness of between about 0.1and 0.3 inch, with a latch structure extending upward therefrom. Thelatching member disposed above the spring is therefore a part of theunitary spring itself, thus eliminating one of the moving parts, thelatching member. With this arrangement, the extending arms of the springare thinned, or are added to the strip as by spot welding, riveting orother means.

A better understanding of the operation of the buckle and tonguecombination of the present invention may be had by reference to theaccompanying drawing wherein like reference characters refer to likeparts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective viewof the buckle and tongue combination of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view 0 the assembled buckle with the tongueinserted and latched.

FIGS. 3A dnd B are longitudinal cross-sections taken through line 33 ofFIG. 2. In FIG. 38, a portion of the stopblock has been broken away toshow the position of the upturned arm of the spring which is hidden inthe illustration of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is also a longitudinal cross-section taken through line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 except that the tongue has not been inserted all the way. It canbe seen that the latch does not obstruct the entry of thetongue as itdoes in the case of most buckes of the prior art.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-section of the buckle and tonguecombination taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a section of the buckle housing adaptedto receive a single upturned arm of the spring. The planar unitaryspring is also shown having an upturned arm and two short downturnedarms to form the fulcurm or pivot line with the base wall of the bucklehousing. The terminals of the flat elongated strip which normally liewithin the channels of the buckle housing, are shown as partiallyupturned.

FIG. 7 represents another embodiment of the spring wherein the flatelongated strip has substantial thickness, and has a latch structure onits upper surface. The ends of this elongated strip have upwardprojections for contacting matching surfaces of the press button. Such aspring also serves as the latching member, thus eliminating the latchingmember as a separate component.

FIG. 8 represents a modification of the unitary spring of FIG. 7. Inthis case we have a single upturned spring arm, two short downwardlyturned arms to meet the base wall of the buckle housing to form thefulcrum, and two latch structures for cooperating with openings in thetongue, which actually constitute slots in the sides of the tongue. Atongue may have openings, slots, or carry a surface depression forco-action with the latch structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT WITH REFERENCE TO THEDRAWINGS With particular reference to FIG. 1, but also to FIGS. 2, 3, 4and 5, my invention is directed to a safety seat belt buckle and tonguecombination comprising: a seat belt buckle housing 1 having anelongated, substantially rectangular opening 2 at one end, for theinsertion of a tongue 4, a loop 6 at the other end for the attachment ofa length of belt, and an open face, exposing a cavity 7 extending to thebase wall 8 of the buckle housing. The housing has opposing thickparallel side walls 9 adjacent to the opening for the insertion of atongue, extending inwardly and having in their inner faces, grooves 11,parallel to the base wall of the housing and to each other. These aredisposed for slideably guiding and supporting tongue 4 on its insertioninto the buckle housing. The thick walls also each have a guide channel12, centrally located therein and perpendicular to the base wall 8 ofthe housing, with the channel openings opposing each other. Thesechannels serve to position the moving components of the buckle, namely aspring 19, a latching member 14 and a latch release member 15 disposedwithin the cavity 7, and restricted by said channels to limited motionsubstantially perpendicular to the base wall 8. The housing also has aguide-block 16 extending centrally from the rear wall facing the openingfor the tongue, said block being grooved at 17 for receiving the tip oftongue 4 and for stopping its forward motion when fully inserted intothe buckle. The housing also has two channel-like spaces 18, vertical tothe base wall 8, between the guide-block and each adjacent thick sidewall 9. A normally relaxed, unitary biasing spring 19, fabricated fromspring metal sheet stock is positioned within cavity 7 above the basewall 8. This spring has an elongated strip 21, each end of which extendsloosely into one of the two opposing channels, said spring strip havingtwo arms 22 extending at right angles to the strip toward thechannel-like spaces 18, but curling upward into the path of tongue 4,and directly in front of these channel-like spaces. These arms extendupwardly, substantially to the open face of cavity 7. A third arm, 23,centrally lo cated between the other two, curves slightly downward fromstrip 21 to contact the base wall 8 at its junction with guide-block 16,there forming a fulcrum.

The latching member 14, disposed above strip 21 of the unitary spring 19has arms 24 on each side extending partially into opposing channels 12to limit move ment of said latching member 14 to motion perpendicular tothe base wall 8 of the housing, said extending arms each having at itsterminus, disposed within the channel 12, a short upward projection 25to provide a contact surface for cooperation with the-latch releasemember 15. The latching member 14 has, centrally located on its uppersurface, an upwardly sloping latch structure 26, for engaging acorresponding opening 27 in tongue 4. Opening 36 in tongue 4 is adaptedfor the attachment of a belt.

A latch release member is also included comprising a push or pressbutton 28 with two arms 29, each extending into one of the two opposingchannels 12 for engaging the contact surface of the short upturnedprojection 25 of the latching member, and having at its terminus adownwardly extending leg 31. These legs are disposed within channels 12for straddling tongue 4 and the latching member 14, said latch releasemember 15 thereby being guided by channels 12 to limited motionperpendicular to the base wall 8 of the housing. A cover retaining plate32 is provided, having an opening 33 therein, and a plurality ofdownwardly extending lugs 34 for fixed engagement with correspondingopenings 35 in the thick side walls 9 of the housing, to thus retain thelatching and unlatching components 14, 15 and 19 within the housing,while permitting access to press button 28. In regard to the buckle andtongue combination of the present invention, when tongue 4 isinsertedall the way into the buckle, its tip presses the two upwardly extendingspring arms 22 of the unitary spring 19 into the channel-like spaces 18on either side of the guide-block 16 to thereby rock the unitary spring19 on its fulcrum, thus raising elongated strip 21 against theoverlaying latching member 14, and urging it into latching engagementwith opening 27 of tongue 4. When manual pressure is applied to pressbutton 28, to overcome the bias of the now tensed, planar unitary spring19, the latch structure 26 is withdrawn below opening 27 of the tongue,whereupon the two arms 22 of spring 19 pressing against the tip oftongue 4 will eject the tongue and leave planar spring 19 in itsnormally relaxed condition.

In the exploded view of FIG. 1, two metal guides or channel pieces 37,preferably of stainless steel are also included. These guides may beinserted into the opposing channels 12 to reduce the size of thecontaining channels, prevent galling of the metal of the housing by themoving components of the buckle, and provide slideable surfaces for thelatching member and the latch release member. Preferably, the bucklehousing itself is die cast.

FIG. 2 illustrates the assembled buckle with the tongue in latchedengagement.

FIG. 3A is a longitudinal cross-section of FIG. 2 taken along line 33.The tongue is latched, latch structure 26 being urged into opening 27 ofthe tongue by spring 19 which is shown rocked upwardly and tensed by thetongue 4 which has pressed the upturned spring arms against the rearwall of the buckle housing. In FIG. 3B, the guide-block 16 has beenpartially broken away to show the position of the tip of the tongue inrelation to the upturned spring arms 22. When latch structure 26 iswithdrawn downward, by manually pressing button 28, spring arms 22 willeject the tongue and return to their relaxed position.

FIG. 4 illustrates the buckle and tongue combination in the unlatchedcondition. Spring 19 is relaxed, and latch structure 26 is below theincoming or outgoing tongue. This differs from most buckles of the priorart, wherein latch structure 26 would be biased up into the path of theincoming tongue, and would be displaced downwardly by the tongue. As thetongue presses against upturned spring arms 22, the spring will rockback, using line 39 at the intersection of base wall 8 and guide-block16 as a fulcrum, as in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-section along line 55 of FIG. 2. Latch 26is latched with the tongue. This illustration shows the manner in whichthe latch release member 15 contacts the latching member 14 in guidechannels 37.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment wherein there are two guide-blocks16 for the tongue, extending from the rear wall into the cavity 7 of thebuckle. These guide-blocks have grooves 17 for receiving the leadingedge of the tongue upon its insertion. Between the two guide-blocksthere is a channel-like space into which the arm 22 of planar unitaryspring 19 recedes when urged thereto by force applied to the tongueduring its insertion. Planar unitary spring 19 has, in addition toarcuately upturned arm 22, two slightly downtumed arms 23 between about0.1 to 0.6 inch long. The terminals of the elongated strip 21 of thisspring are upturned to add resilience. When inserted in the buckle shownin the break-away perspective drawing,-these upturned termini aredisposed in channels 12. The

short arms 23 contact the base wall 8 along the line where the twoguide-blocks l6 join the base wall, to

there establish a fulcrum. Pressure of the tongue against arm 22 causesthe spring to rock back on the lower edge of the short arms 23, raisingelongated strip 21 against the latching member disposed above it, andurging the latch structure into engagement with the tongue. When thelatch bar is manually depressed by means of the press button, thelatchstructure is withdrawn from the. belt, and spring arm 22 ejects thetongue.

FIG. 7 illustrates still another embodiment wherein the flat elongatedstrip 21 of the spring 19 and the latching member comprises a singleunit. Strip 21 has a substantial thickness of between about 0.1 and 0.3inch, and an upwardly sloping latch structure 26 for engaging thecorresponding opening in the tongue. Additionally, the strip may haveupwardly extending projections 25 at the ends, extending into channels12, to provide contact surfaces for cooperation with correspondingsurfaces of the latch release member (FIG. 1). With this arrangement,one moving part has been eliminated, leaving only two moving parts, thelatch release member 15 and the combined spring and latching member ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 7, wherein theflat elongated strip 21 of the spring 19 and the latching member are asingle unit. Strip 21 has a substantial thickness of between about 0.1and 0.3 inch, and two upwardly sloping latch structures for engagingcorresponding openings 27 in the tongue. Additionally, the strip mayhave upwardly extending projections 25 at the ends extending intochannels 12 to provide contact surfaces for cooperation with corresponding surfaces of the latch release member 15 (FIG. 1). As with theembodiment of FIG. 7, only two moving parts are employed. The tongue mayhave'one or more openings, slots, or depressions for cooperation with alatch structure.

While I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, it will beunderstood that various modifications and changes can be made in thebuckle and tongue combination described, without departing from thespirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A belt buckle and tongue in combination comprising:

a. a buckle housing having an opening at one end for the insertion ofthe tongue, means for attaching a length of belt, and an open face,exposing a cavity extending to the base wall of the buckle housing;

b. said housing having grooves, parallel to the base wall of the housingand to each other, disposed in parallel side walls for slideably guidingand supporting the tongue on its insertion into the buckle housing;

0. said housing having opposing guide channels, each centrally disposedin the parallel side walls, said channels being perpendicular to thebase wall, for positioning a unitary biasing spring, latching member anda latch release member disposed within the cavity, and restricted bysaid channels to limited motion substantially perpendicular to the basewall;

d. a rear wall opposite the opening for the tongue, serving to stop thetongue in its forward motion when inserted into the buckle;

e. said unitary biasing spring comprising a flat elongated strippositioned within the cavity against the base wall, with each end of thestrip extending loosely into one of the two opposing channels, saidstrip having an arm extending therefrom in the direction away from theopening for the tongue, but arcuately upturned to pass through the pathfor the tongue, for contact with the leading edge of said tongue at apoint between about 0.l to 0.6 inches from the terminus of its inwardtravel; I

a latching member disposed above the strip of the spring, and alsoextending on each side into the opposing channels, said latching memberhaving located thereon, an upwardly sloping latch structure for engaginga corresponding opening in the tongue; 1 g. a latch release member withtwo legs to straddle the inserted tongue, and to contact the latchingmember;

h. a retaining cover plate having an opening therein,

and means for attachment to the housing for retaining the latching andunlatching components within the housing while permitting access to thepress button.

2. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein theopposing guide channels have channel pieces inserted therein to reducethe size of the containing channels and provide slideable surfaces forthe legs of the latching member and latch release member.

3. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein there aretwo guide-blocks for the tongue, extending from the rear wall into thecavity of the buckle, said guide-blocks having grooves for receiving theleading edge of the tongue upon its insertion, and wherein there is achannel-like space between the guide-blocks into which the arm of thespring recedes when urged thereto by force applied to the tongue duringits insertion.

4. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 3 wherein the unitaryspring has additionally, two short arms between about 0.1 to 0.6 incheslong, one on each side of the upwardly extending arm, said additionalarms curving slightly downward to contact the base wall along the linewhere the two guide-blocks join the base wall, to there establish afulcrum about which the unitary spring may rock when the upwardlyextending arm is urged toward the rear wall by the inserted tongue.

5. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein there is aguide-block for the tongue extending from the rear wall into the cavityof the buckle, said guide-block having a groove for receiving the tip ofthe tongue when inserted, and two channel-like spaces, one

on each side of the guide-block and wherein the arm of the unitaryspring comprises two arms, one on either side of an additional short armbetween about 0.1 to 0.6 inch long which curls slightly downward tocontact the base wall along the line where the guide-block joins thebase wall, to establish a fulcrum about which the unitary spring maypivot, when the upwardly extending arms are urged toward the rear walland into the channel-like spaces by the inserted tongue.

6. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim wherein the shortdownwardly turned arm forms a fulcrum by engaging a ridge in the basewall, said ridge being perpendicular to the line of travel of the tonguein the buckle, and wherein the ends of the flat elongated strip of thespring extending into the channels are angled upward to provideadditional resilience to the spring. I

7. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein the flatelongated strip of the spring, and the latching member disposed aboveit, are a single unit and an upwardly sloping latch structure forengaging the corresponding opening in the tongue, said strip havingadditionally, upwardly extending projections at the ends extending intothe channels to provide contact surfaces for the latch release member.

8. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 4 wherein the flatelongated strip of the spring and the latching member disposed above itare a single unit, having two upwardly sloping latch structures forengaging corresponding openings in the tongue, said strip havingadditionally, upwardly extending projections at the ends extending intothe channels to provide contact surfaces for the latch release member.

9. A safety seat belt buckle and tongue in combination comprising: I t

a. a seat belt buckle housing having an elongated substantiallyrectangular opening at one end for the insertion of the tongue, a loopat the other end for the attachment of a length of seatbelt, and an openface, exposing a cavity extending to the base wall of the bucklehousing;

b. said housing having opposing thickened parallel sidewalls adjacent tothe opening for the insertion of a tongue, extending inwardly, andhaving in their inner faces, grooves, parallel to the base wall of thehousing and to each other, disposed for slideably guiding and supportingthe tongue on its insertion into the buckle housing;

c. said thickened walls each having a guide channel centrally locatedtherein and perpendicular to the base wall of the housing, with thechannel openings opposing each other, said channels serving to posi- Ie. said housing having two channel-like spaces vertical to the base wallof the housing, between the block and each adjacent thickened wall;

f. a normally relaxed, unitary planar biasing spring fabricated fromspring metal sheet stock, comprising an elongated strip which ispositioned within the cavity above the base wall, with each end of thestrip extending loosely into one of the two opposing channels, saidspring strip having two arms extending at right angles to the strip,toward the channellike spaces, but curling upwardly into the path of thetongue, and directly in front of these channellike spaces, said armsextending upwardly substantially to the open face of the cavity; a thirdarm centrally located between the other two and curving slightlydownward from the strip to contact the base wall at its junction withthe guideblock, there forming a fulcrum;

g. a latching member disposed above the strip of the unitary spring, andhaving arms extending on each side partially into the opposing channels,to limit movement of the latching member to motion perpendicular to thebase wall of the housing, said extending arms each having at itsterminus disposed within the channel, a short upwardly extendingprojection to provide contact surfaces for cooperation with the latchrelease member, said latching member having centrally located on itsupper surface, an upwardly sloping latch structure, for engaging acorresponding opening in the tongue;

h. a latch release member comprising a press button with two extendingarms each extending into one of the two opposing channels, for engagingthe contact surface of the latching member, and having at its terminus adownwardly extending leg, said legs disposed within the channels wherebythe latch release member straddles the tongue and the latching member,said latch release member being guided by the channels to limited motionperpendicular to the base wall of the housing;

i. a covering retaining plate having an opening therein and a pluralityof downwardly extending legs for fixed engagement with correspondingopenings in the thickened wall of the housing to thus retain thelatching and unlatching components within the housing, while permittingaccess to the press button whereby; inserting the tongue all the wayinto the housing will cause its tip to press the two arms of the unitaryspring into the channel-like spaces on either side of the guide-block,to thereby rock the strip of the spring on said fulcrum and raise theoverlaying latching member, urging it into latching engagement with theopening in the tongue; and whereby manual pressure on the press buttonto overcome the bias of the tensed spring will depress the latchingmember below the opening in the tongue, whereupon the two arms of thespring pressing against the tip of the tongue will eject the tongue,said spring then returning to its normally relaxed condition.

1. A belt buckle and tongue in combination comprising: a. a bucklehousing having an opening at one end for the insertion of the tongue,means for attaching a length of belt, and an open face, exposing acavity extending to the base wall of the buckle housing; b. said housinghaving grooves, parallel to the base wall of the housing and to eachother, disposed in parallel side walls for slideably guiding andsupporting the tongue on its insertion into the buckle housing; c. saidhousing having opposing guide channels, each centrally disposed in theparallel side walls, said channels being perpendicular to the base wall,for positioning a unitary biasing spring, latching member and a latchrelease member disposed within the cavity, and restricted by saidchannels to limited motion substantially perpendicular to the base wall;d. a rear wall opposite the opening for the tongue, serving to stop thetongue in its forward motion when inserted into the buckle; e. saidunitary biasing spring comprising a flat elongated strip positionedwithin the cavity against the base wall, with each end of the stripextending loosely into one of the two opposing channels, said striphaving an arm extending therefrom in the direction away from the openingfor the tongue, but arcuately upturned to pass through the path for thetongue, for contact with the leading edge of said tongue at a pointbetween about 0.1 to 0.6 inches from the terminus of its inward travel;f. a latching member disposed above the strip of the spring, and alsoextending on each side into the opposing channels, said latching memberhaving located thereon, an upwardly sloping latch structure for engaginga corresponding opening in the tongue; g. a latch release member withtwo legs to straddle the inserted tongue, and to contact the latchingmember; h. a retaining cover plate having an opening therein, and meansfor attachment to the housing for retaining the latching and unlatchingcomponents within the housing while permitting access to the pressbutton.
 2. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein theopposing guide channels have channel pieces inserted therein to reducethe size of the containing channels and provide slideable surfaces forthe legs of the latching member and latch release member.
 3. The beltbuckle and tongue combination of claim 1 wherein there are twoguide-blocks for the tongue, extending from the rear wall into thecavity of the buckle, said guide-blocks having grooves for receiving theleading edge of the tongue upon its insertion, and wherein there is achannel-like space between the guide-blocks into which the arm of thespring recedes when urged thereto by force applied to the tongue duringits insertion.
 4. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 3wherein the unitary spring has additionally, two short arms betweenabout 0.1 to 0.6 inches long, one on each side of the upwardly extendingarm, said additional arms curving slightly downward to contact the basewall along the line where the two guide-blocks join the base wall, tothere establish a fulcrum about which the unitary spring may rock whenthe upwardly extending arm is urged toward the rear wall by the insertedtongue.
 5. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim 1 whereinthere is a guide-block for the tongue extending from the rear wall intothe cavity of the buckle, said guide-block having a groove for receivingthe tip of the tongue when inserted, and two channel-like spaces, one oneach side of the guide-block and wherein the arm of the unitary springcomprises two arms, one on either side of an additional short armbetween about 0.1 to 0.6 inch long which curls slightly downward tocontact the base wall along the line where the guide-block joins thebase wall, to establish a fuLcrum about which the unitary spring maypivot, when the upwardly extending arms are urged toward the rear walland into the channel-like spaces by the inserted tongue.
 6. The beltbuckle and tongue combination of claim 5 wherein the short downwardlyturned arm forms a fulcrum by engaging a ridge in the base wall, saidridge being perpendicular to the line of travel of the tongue in thebuckle, and wherein the ends of the flat elongated strip of the springextending into the channels are angled upward to provide additionalresilience to the spring.
 7. The belt buckle and tongue combination ofclaim 1 wherein the flat elongated strip of the spring, and the latchingmember disposed above it, are a single unit and an upwardly slopinglatch structure for engaging the corresponding opening in the tongue,said strip having additionally, upwardly extending projections at theends extending into the channels to provide contact surfaces for thelatch release member.
 8. The belt buckle and tongue combination of claim4 wherein the flat elongated strip of the spring and the latching memberdisposed above it are a single unit, having two upwardly sloping latchstructures for engaging corresponding openings in the tongue, said striphaving additionally, upwardly extending projections at the endsextending into the channels to provide contact surfaces for the latchrelease member.
 9. A safety seat belt buckle and tongue in combinationcomprising: a. a seat belt buckle housing having an elongatedsubstantially rectangular opening at one end for the insertion of thetongue, a loop at the other end for the attachment of a length of seatbelt, and an open face, exposing a cavity extending to the base wall ofthe buckle housing; b. said housing having opposing thickened parallelsidewalls adjacent to the opening for the insertion of a tongue,extending inwardly, and having in their inner faces, grooves, parallelto the base wall of the housing and to each other, disposed forslideably guiding and supporting the tongue on its insertion into thebuckle housing; c. said thickened walls each having a guide channelcentrally located therein and perpendicular to the base wall of thehousing, with the channel openings opposing each other, said channelsserving to position a spring, a latching member and a latch releasemember, disposed within the cavity and restricted by said channels tolimited motion substantially perpendicular to the base wall; d. saidhousing having a guide-block extending centrally from the rear wallfacing the opening for the tongue, said block being grooved forreceiving the tip of the tongue and for stopping its forward motion whenfully inserted into the buckle; e. said housing having two channel-likespaces vertical to the base wall of the housing, between the block andeach adjacent thickened wall; f. a normally relaxed, unitary planarbiasing spring fabricated from spring metal sheet stock, comprising anelongated strip which is positioned within the cavity above the basewall, with each end of the strip extending loosely into one of the twoopposing channels, said spring strip having two arms extending at rightangles to the strip, toward the channel-like spaces, but curlingupwardly into the path of the tongue, and directly in front of thesechannel-like spaces, said arms extending upwardly substantially to theopen face of the cavity; a third arm centrally located between the othertwo and curving slightly downward from the strip to contact the basewall at its junction with the guideblock, there forming a fulcrum; g. alatching member disposed above the strip of the unitary spring, andhaving arms extending on each side partially into the opposing channels,to limit movement of the latching member to motion perpendicular to thebase wall of the housing, said extending arms each having at itsterminus disposed within the channel, a short upwardly extendingprojection to provide contact suRfaces for cooperation with the latchrelease member, said latching member having centrally located on itsupper surface, an upwardly sloping latch structure, for engaging acorresponding opening in the tongue; h. a latch release membercomprising a press button with two extending arms each extending intoone of the two opposing channels, for engaging the contact surface ofthe latching member, and having at its terminus a downwardly extendingleg, said legs disposed within the channels whereby the latch releasemember straddles the tongue and the latching member, said latch releasemember being guided by the channels to limited motion perpendicular tothe base wall of the housing; i. a covering retaining plate having anopening therein and a plurality of downwardly extending legs for fixedengagement with corresponding openings in the thickened wall of thehousing to thus retain the latching and unlatching components within thehousing, while permitting access to the press button whereby; insertingthe tongue all the way into the housing will cause its tip to press thetwo arms of the unitary spring into the channel-like spaces on eitherside of the guide-block, to thereby rock the strip of the spring on saidfulcrum and raise the overlaying latching member, urging it intolatching engagement with the opening in the tongue; and whereby manualpressure on the press button to overcome the bias of the tensed springwill depress the latching member below the opening in the tongue,whereupon the two arms of the spring pressing against the tip of thetongue will eject the tongue, said spring then returning to its normallyrelaxed condition.